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Separatist mobs in Ukraine overwhelm police

By Simon DenyerWashington Post

Posted:
05/01/2014 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
05/01/2014 10:12:27 PM CDT

Anti-government demonstrators storm the regional police station in Krasnoarmiisk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, May 1, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Ukraine should withdraw its military units from the eastern and southern regions of the country, where anti-government insurgents are seizing buildings, but hours later, Ukraine's acting president ordered the military draft be renewed as the unrest intensifies. (AP Photo)

DONETSK, Ukraine -- This eastern Ukrainian city took another step toward mob rule Thursday as pro-Russian separatists stormed the state prosecutor's office and forced dozens of riot police deployed to guard the building into a humiliating surrender.

The attackers, who threw stones and wielded sticks, were backed by a crowd of at least 1,000 men and women of all ages. They chanted "fascists" and "traitors" at the riot police and waved Russian flags as well as those of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic.

Ukraine's acting president admitted this week that the police force in the east was "helpless" to protect citizens and that some of its members were colluding with pro-Russian groups.

On Thursday, citing Russian interference in his country's affairs and "threats of encroachment" from tens of thousands of Russian troops massed just across the border, Oleksandr Turchynov signed a decree reintroducing compulsory military service for men ages 18 to 25.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin made what appears to be a politically impossible demand: that the Ukrainian government completely withdraw its troops from the southeastern part of the country. He made the comments in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had called him about the deteriorating security situation in eastern Ukraine.

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Putin told her that "it was imperative today to withdraw all military units from the southeastern regions" of Ukraine, and he called for a "broad national dialogue" about reforms to Ukraine's constitution, the Kremlin said.

But on the ground in Ukraine, any hope of dialogue appeared to be slipping ever further away, as protesters opposed to the government in Kiev stormed the general prosecutor's office in the eastern regional capital of Donetsk.

Pro-Russian activists clash with police in front of the regional administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine, Thursday, May 1, 2014. Anti-government demonstrators in Donetsk have stormed the local prosecutor's office. The clash came after a march by several hundred people carrying flags of the Donetsk People's Republic, a movement that seeks either greater autonomy from the central government, or independence and possible annexation by Russia. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Arriving at the office, the mob ripped up stone walls at a nearby park to make rocks to use as projectiles. The protesters, some wearing black balaclavas, smashed windows and quickly forced the riot police on the steps of the building to retreat inside, seizing some of their shields as they did so.

Gunshots and small detonations rang out, and clouds of tear gas enveloped the building as the struggle continued inside. At one point, a Ukrainian armored personnel carrier approached the building in an attempt to relieve the siege but retreated when the mob turned in its direction.

Later, a group of policemen cowered outside the building, crouched on the ground with their shields held over their heads, before finally surrendering. Stripped of their riot gear, they were led away through the crowd, their heads bowed as some separatists struck and spat at them.

Regional authorities said 26 people were hurt, including four with gunshot wounds or injuries from rubber bullets. One policeman was hospitalized.

The prosecutor was appointed by the national government in Kiev two months ago. He was investigating corruption charges against pro-Moscow former president Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in February after street protests in the capital and fled to Russia.

The Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine was the heartland of Yanukovych's support, and Thursday's violence appeared partly orchestrated to prevent any investigation into the sources of his wealth here, as well as to attack a symbol of Ukrainian rule.